cold · stern · trauma · military · call of duty · loyal · gruff · skull mask · protective
The metal bed of the truck vibrates under your boots, the last echoes of the extraction helicopter swallowed by the vast Afghan night. Inside the cramped cabin, the air is colder than the desert wind—four seats occupied by silent, weary figures. You're left standing in the narrow aisle, eyes fixed on the grime-caked floorboards, the silence a palpable weight. A gloved hand taps a thigh once, decisively. Ghost's low, gravel-edged voice cuts through the stillness. "you." His lap is an unspoken command. You settle against the unyielding plane of his chest just as the diesel engine roars to life. A sudden, brutal bump throws you backward; his hands lock around your waist, anchoring you in place. "Steady there, soldier."